1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a high-resolution printing method in a horizontal direction using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a high-resolution printing method in a horizontal direction using the same, which can perform a high-resolution printing in a horizontal direction by delaying the generation of an ink firing signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses print images corresponding to input original image data onto a recording medium such as paper. The image forming apparatuses may be printers, copiers, or facsimile machines. The printer is one of many peripheral devices of a computer, and particularly an output device that prints the contents produced according to a user's computer work onto the paper.
Printers may be classified into dot matrix printers, inkjet printers, and laser printers, according to their printing types. Since inkjet printers have a good printing quality at a low price and with low noise, they have widely been used for performing office work and computer output work. Recently, user demand for high-resolution prints using the inkjet printer has been increasing.
In the inkjet printer, two factors determine resolution in a horizontal direction. The factors are resolution of an inkjet head and a mechanical/electrical characteristics of a carriage system. The inkjet head forms an image by firing ink, and the carriage system mounts the inkjet head and reciprocates in a horizontal direction.
The resolution in the horizontal direction is determined through a photo encoder sensor and a strip encoder for detecting actual position information of the carriage system.
A conventional method restrictively implements high-resolution printing in the horizontal direction by using a dummy slice or a compulsory fire delay. This method, however, is not satisfactory for implementing high resolution.
Meanwhile, another conventional method for achieving high resolution in the horizontal direction is to physically heighten the mechanical/electrical characteristics of the carriage system. Still another conventional method is to increase the resolution of an encoder system. However, these methods have the problem of requiring additional expense.